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Popular Entertainment

This Museum's popular entertainment collections hold some of the Smithsonian's most beloved artifacts. The ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz reside here, along with the Muppet character Kermit the Frog, and props from popular television series such as M*A*S*H and All in the Family. But as in many of the Museum's collections, the best-known objects are a small part of the story.

The collection also encompasses many other artifacts of 19th- and 20th-century commercial theater, film, radio, and TV—some 50,000 sound recordings dating back to 1903; posters, publicity stills, and programs from films and performances; puppets; numerous items from World's Fairs from 1851 to 1992; and audiovisual materials on Groucho Marx, to name only a few.

This metal lunch box was manufactured by Thermos in 1979. The box features imagery of the Space Shuttle Orbiter Enterprise. The Space Shuttle Orbiter Enterprise was the first shuttle that NASA built, but it never went to space. Instead it was used for approach and landing tests. The shuttle was originally going to be named the Constitution, but fans of the TV series Star Trek staged a write-in campaign and the shuttle was renamed after the show’s USS Enterprise NCC-1701. The shuttle now resides at the National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.

This metal lunch box was manufactured by Aladdin Industries in 1969. The lunch boxes features imagery from the popular TV comedy show, Laugh-In. Laugh-In was a sketch comedy variety show that originally ran from 1968-1973 on NBC.

This metal lunch box was manufactured by Thermos in 1969. The lunch box features imagery from Diahann Carroll’s hit TV series, Julia which aired from 1968-1971 on NBC. Julia was applauded for its depiction of African-American life in a suburban setting, and this lunch box is notable for being the first depiction of a black woman on a lunch box.

This metal lunch box was manufactured by Aladdin Industries in 1981. The lunch box features imagery based on the TV series, The Fall Guy. The Fall Guy ran on ABC from 1981-1986. The show starred Lee Majors as Colt Seavers, a Hollywood stuntman who uses the skills he develops as a “fall guy” to create a secondary source of income as a bounty hunter.

This dome-shaped metal lunch box was made in 1977 by Aladdin Industries. The box features imagery based on the hit TV series, The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams, which ran on NBC for two years from 1977-1978. The television series was based off of a 1974 feature film of the same name that was a huge success. The fictional character of Grizzly Adams was based off of the real man, James Capen Adams, a man who roamed the wilderness and tamed bears and other animals, often for P.T. Barnum’s shows.

This metal lunch box was manufactured by Thermos in 1971. The lunch box features images based on the musical TV show, The Partridge Family that ran on ABC from 1970-1974. The television show crossed over into musical success, as The Partridge Family Album was released in 1970, and sold over a million copies.

This metal lunch box was manufactured by Aladdin Industries in 1985. The lunch box features imagery based on the TV show, Thundercats, that ran in syndication from 1985-1987. The show was an exciting mix between fantasy, science-fiction, and mythology that recounted the adventures of the ThunderCats as they battled the evil Mumm-Ra on Third Earth.

This metal lunch box was manufactured by Aladdin Industries in 1973. The lunch box features imagery from the TV show The Waltons, which ran on CBS from 1972-1981. The Waltons was a huge hit, winning five Primetime Emmy’s in 1973, including the Emmy for Outstanding Drama.

This metal lunch box was manufactured by Aladdin Industries in 1967. The lunch box features images from the cartoon serial, Dick Tracy. Dick Tracy is depicted speaking into his two-way wristwatch radio, a 1946 addition to the comic strip that became the Tracy’s signature device and captured the imagination of children everywhere.